Something New
by bananagirl.97
Summary: At 25, James Sirius Potter is living the high life. A Quidditch star, national heartthrob and ultimate partier, he's got it all. At 23, Elizabeth Hartley has just become junior Quidditch correspondent at the Daily Prophet. When her boss' son starts paying an interest, Lizzie could not care less. Well, at first she couldn't... (Same universe as my other stories.)
1. Prologue

**Hello all you lovely people who've happened to stumble upon this fic! This is something different for me, this is the first continuous story I've written in 3 years... However, it is linked to my one-shots, so if you're someone who has read those, I hope this okay. And to those who haven't read them, I hope that this makes sense :) As with all my Harry Potter stories, they all take place within the same timeline and can/ should be read as one big story really. You don't have to read my other stories but 'When the Apple Falls far From the Tree' may help in terms of understanding the characters. Anyway, enough rambling and on to the story. This is Something New. Enjoy Bg.97 xx**

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_4th November 2027- Prologue_

Another round of fireworks went off as the fans of the Falmouth Falcons cheered as if this was the first victory in all of history. The team themselves had headed to the rooms underground, beneath the stadium, ready to celebrate the next night away.

"I still can't believe you scored 80 points on your own."

James laughed heartily and threw his arm around his best friend. "You're just bitter because your team lost."

"Yes. Yes I am actually, it means I lost that bet we had and have to buy you a firewhiskey."

"Off you go then," James winked at Tara as she sauntered off whilst giving him the middle finger. "You love me really, Tara Jane Wood."

"I really don't, James Sirius Potter."

James laughed once more as his cousin- his other best friend- jumped on him. "That was absolutely sensational Jamie!"

"Why thank you, Freddie."

"So how exactly do you plan on celebrating that spectacular start to the season?"

At that point, Tara returned, shoving the drink in her hand over to James. She scoffed. "Fred, do you even have to ask?"

Fred stared at James expectantly. James feigned nonchalance but his eyes hinted at adventure, "I plan to get smashed; meet my adoring fans; then go out and shag whichever woman is attractive and willing. Do you want to come with?"

"Well considering I have a wife at home who is 7 months pregnant, I don't think I will." Freddie sighed, "James, don't you feel you're getting a bit old for all the drinking and sleeping around?"

"Bloody hell, I'm only just 25! I'm slap bang in the middle of the best years of my life, and I wouldn't want to spend them any other way."

Fred hesitated before replying, "It's your life. Happy Birthday mate, and well done again on tonight. I'll see you at Gran's on Sunday?"

James nodded and briefly hugged his cousin goodbye. After Fred had left, James rolled his eyes. "Can you believe him? Only 24 and he's married with a kid on the way."

Tara shrugged, "It's not that uncommon, Jay. Especially not in Wizarding circles, I mean your mum was 21 when she had you, and when she was 24 Albus was on the way too."

James sighed, "Not you too?"

"What?"

"You think the fame is getting to my head, don't you?"

"No, no. Of course not," she stared directly into her friend's eyes.

"Do you want to come back to mine tonight then? We haven't hooked up in a while."

Tara laughed, "Because I have a boyfriend, remember?

"Oh yeah. Forgot about him," though his face suggested that he wished he had.

She slapped his arm playfully, "Hey! You'd really like him if you actually bothered to get to know him."

"I'll pass," and with that James swaggered off to find more exciting company.

The next morning, James woke up with a startling hangover. As he went to stretch his arm, it was blocked by a beautiful, tall, blonde woman in his bed next to him. As he went downstairs to get a glass of water, he found the clothes of his partner as well as his own strewn across 12 Grimmauld Place. As his memories of the previous night came together, he smirked.

"Ha. Growing up is overrated."

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**And that's the prologue. Although James seems like a dick, I promise you he's not! The next update will be with you soon. In the meantime, please please please review. Reviews make the world go round. And if you do need some more reading *cough* my author page *cough* **

**Thanks for reading. Bg.97 xx**


	2. 1 Call me Lizzie

**Hey- Double update to get the ball rolling! :) Just realised, I should probably explain that my headcanon for next-gen is slightly different in terms of ages of characters. This is only because I started writing before I knew canon and was happy with the version I had. Just so we're clear, there is an A/N at the end of this chapter that lists all their dates of birth. Hope this helps. Enjoy Bg.97 xx**

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_April__ 2028- Chapter one._

She took in a deep breath as she checked herself in the mirror. After years of jumping between various magazines and local papers, she had finally got a job reporting for the Daily Prophet. Admittedly it was just covering Quidditch but it was definitely a start. At least this meant that she got to work with Ginny Potter- who in terms of sports, writing _and _history was a bit of a legend.

She looked up again. Her fair hair was neatly tucked into a bun, her lips were glossed, her glasses were straight and behind them her blue eyes were bright with excitement. She straightened up her skirt before heading downstairs.

Her mum began to fuss over her as soon as she entered the room. "Have you got your wand? A notebook? Writing equipment? What time will you get back? Do you need to take any documents with you?"

She smiled at her mother, "Mum, I've got everything. I'm 23 years old; I am perfectly capable of handling things myself."

The older woman laughed as she wiped a proud tear from her eye, "I know, it's just so big! My daughter- a reporter for the biggest newspaper in Magical Britain. To think, you'll be an expert in Quidlinch the next time we see you."

"It's called Quidditch, Mum," she smiled.

"Oh look, there goes your silly muggle parents getting it wrong again! Anyway, you better head off, we wouldn't want you getting late on your first day."

She kissed her mum goodbye, before apparating inside the Daily Prophet offices. She counted to five before stepping forward and knocking on the door labelled, 'Mrs Ginny Potter. Senior Quidditch Correspondent.'

"Come in."

She stepped in through the door and waited for further address.

"Ah yes, you must be the new junior reporter I was told about."

"Yes, that's me."

"I'm sorry, what was your name?"

"Oh, of course! Sorry; forgot to introduce myself. Elizabeth Hartley, but please- call me Lizzie."

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They were currently on the train to Falmouth, the home of the Falcons, to visit their training ground. Lizzie had learned that November- January was the British League tournament, and June- August was the European Championships, so at this precise moment, every major team in the continent were working their arses off in training. So far they had met and interviewed the Appleby Arrows and Holyhead Harpies, and were now moving on to the Falcons, whose new Team Captain had just been assigned the role the week before.

Lizzie had been pretty blessed so far. Although she had started off with a beginner's knowledge of the sport, she was starting to understand the game and even enjoy it to an extent. In the one month she had been working for Ginny Potter, she had come to view her as a sort of motherly figure. Although she still found it hard to believe that the slender, beautiful woman in front of her had possibly given birth to three children. It was strange really; Lizzie had somehow always managed to avoid the infamous Potter/Weasley crowd whilst at school. She had been a quiet, studious sort- way too nervous to make friends with anyone other than her housemates.

Ginny smiled and rose to stand up, "Come on, this is our stop."

Lizzie grabbed her bag and her copy of 'Quidditch through the Ages' and followed after her boss.

It was a beautiful day to watch them train- the sun was high in the sky, yet a breeze was still blowing the dark grey and white flags pitched around the field. Brooms flew between each other, the quaffle flying from player to player, as they all shouted various tactics and techniques at each other. Suddenly, the Captain, whom she identified by the armband he wore, swooped in and took possession of the quaffle. He moved between his team mates as easily as walking, and soon enough had potted the ball through the right side hoop. As he smiled, his entire face lit up. He was a handsome young man, probably in his mid-20s, with wavy brown hair and dark eyes to match. He had a strong, but not overly bulky, form and as he opened his mouth, Lizzie found herself anticipating the sound of his voice.

"Ha!" he cheered. "Now that- that is the level of professionalism that your sorry arses should be playing at. I don't give a crap about how hot it is. You're meant to be top class athletes and you're slacking! Up your game people!"

Elizabeth snorted in disappointment, "He seems rather arrogant."

Ginny made a noise of agreement beside her, "Believe me, arrogant is a bit of an understatement."

"Oh, do you know him personally?"

"You could say that," Ginny uttered before bursting into laughter.

Lizzie looked at her confused. "Sorry, am I missing something?"

Ginny stopped and met her eyes. "I'm sorry, I forget that you're not in tune with celebrity culture," she paused and chuckled once more before continuing. "That's my eldest son, James."

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**And there's the first chapter. Sorry it's not longer, I'll eventually get the hang on writing good chapter lengths. So yeah, Lizzie. She is the leading lady of our story so I hope you don't hate her introduction chapter. Please review so I know what you're thinking. Thanks for reading. Bg.97 xx**

**Teddy Lupin- 12th April 1998  
Victoire Weasley- 2nd May 2000  
Molly ii/ Lucy Weasley- 3rd December 2001  
James Sirius Potter- 4th November 2002  
Dominique Weasley- 17th February 2003  
Fred Weasley ii- 11th July 2003  
Louis Weasley- 23rd April 2004  
Roxanne Weasley- 30th May 2004  
Rose Weasley- 2nd January 2006  
Scorpius Malfoy- 17th June 2006  
Albus Severus Potter- 19th August 2006  
Hugo Weasley- 29th October 2007  
Lily Luna Potter- 5th March 2008  
Lorcan/ Lysander Scamander- 7th April 2009  
**


	3. 2 A Potter Family Dinner

**Round 3 my friends! A bit of Potter family interaction now. I hope you enjoy it. Sorry if it still feels a bit slow but it is only just kicking into gear. Bg.97 xx**

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Harry made a face of curiosity as he heard the doorbell ring at their Godric's Hollow home. They hadn't been expecting company... He made to answer it.

When he opened the door, he was delighted to see his eldest son, stood there smiling, with a bunch of flowers in his hand.

Harry gasped, "Flowers? For me? You shouldn't have Jamie!"

James rolled his eyes as he pulled his dad in for a hug. "You're such a goof Dad. Merlin's beard, I've missed you."

Harry was suprised at his son's sudden sentimentality, but straightened up as he registered his words. "Well you wouldn't have had to miss us if you actually bothered to show up at The Burrow for Sunday family brunch. Or answered our owls. Or I don't know, popped in and visited us at work considering your house, which is technically mine, is only a 15 minute walk away from my office."

James looked into the air as if looking for a response, when his mother walked through the dining room into the corridor, "Jamie, I thought I heard you. You're just in time for dinner."

The three of them sat at their dinner table, the air feeling empty without the bustle that the whole family would provide.

Harry coughed, breaking the silence. "Well done on the Captaincy. We were all so excited to hear the news- front page of the Prophet! Your mother was thrilled to write the article. Your Uncle Ron cried! Actual tears! Oh, and little Hector jumped up and down yelling 'Captain Uncle Jay'"

James smiled at the thought of Teddy and Victoire's son cheering for him.

"Thanks Dad, it wasn't easy."

"I can imagine," Ginny chipped in. "The level of the British Tournament this year was ridiculous. The fact that you came out in the position you did, without injuries, is more than a mere achievement."

The other Potters nodded in agreement.

"So... How are the 2nd and 3rd favourite Potter children doing?"

Harry chuckled at the phrase James had always used, often to Albus and Lily's chagrin. "I spoke to Lily this morning, actually. She's doing really well: life in Paris has been good for her. She's bought herself a new flat overlooking the Seine." At this, James was visibly impressed. "The Shop has been doing really well. In fact she's had to get in a bit of help- it's a mix of muggle uni students and trainee interns from the French Ministry. She's made good friends."

"I hope these aren't male friends."

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Just as protective as ever, I see."

"How about the dreaded middle child?" James asked, earning an elbow in the ribs from his mother.

"I assume he's doing well. I'm yet to hear a bad report come in the office, so he's definitely behaving himself at work..."

"But outside of work?..." James pushed.

"You know that he always tries to hide his personal life from us."

"And fails."

"True. I'm not quite sure what's going on with him. I saw Scorpius at work today. He told me that he's meeting up with some friends he made at the bar last weekend."

"I _definitely_ hope these aren't male friends. What happened to Seth?"

"That's not to be mentioned."

"Bloody hell, how did he balls it up this time?"

"James! Don't talk about your brother like that!" Ginny berated. She paused and sighed, "You know how he gets. He fell in love a bit too fast and Seth found it... overwhelming. He told Al that he was too clingy and broke up with him."

"It's a shame really. He was a nice guy," Harry added.

"And an even better Quidditch player," James finished.

Ginny sighed, "I do sometimes wonder how you 3 are our children."

James sipped his drink and looked to his mother, "What did you think of training today? How did it look?"

His mother shrugged, "Good but I've definitely seen you play better. Try and tuck your arm in a bit closer when you've got the quaffle; it will add precision to your flying."

He nodded slowly as his brain catalogued the tip.

"Oh, and your beater- Greene- needs to actually try and bloody aim when he hits the bludger."

"That's what I always say! See Mum, I always said that you should have become a coach rather than a reporter when you retired."

Ginny blushed at the compliment. Then James shattered the moment.

"So who was that girl that was with you?"

Ginny threw her cutlery down, "Merlin, Jay, you're relentless!"

James threw his hands up in defence. "What did I say wrong?"

"You haven't been home in weeks, but as soon as you find out that I'm working with an attractive girl, you jump straight in there!"

"Bloody hell Mum! You're overreacting. I was just asking a friendly question about your work."

Harry placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. "It might just have been an innocent question, Gin."

Ginny breathed in deeply and shook her head to calm down. "Right, yeah. Sorry. Her name's Elizabeth, she's my new junior reporter."

James smiled, her name rolling off his tongue, when his mother raised a damning finger at his chest.

"No James Sirius Potter, don't you dare."

"What?"

"I raised you. You lived in this house for 21 years, so don't think I don't know that face by now. The face you make when you've picked your next target."

"Okay, I admit that she is somewhat attractive. Is that such a bad thing to say?"

"For you it is." James rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't try anything if I were you. She already thinks you're an arrogant prick."

"Harsh; considering I've never spoken to her."

Ginny laughed. "Well that will change tomorrow since she's interviewing all the team."

James smirked. This should be good.

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**As always, reviews are much appreciated. Will update soon. Bg.97 xx**


	4. 3 Interviews

**Hello friends. I am so so sorry for the late update! From now on it should hopefully go back to one chapter every Wednesday. To apologise you can have this mega long chapter. I'll chuck in James/Lizzie interaction too ;) Enjoy Bg.97 xx**

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_Beep beep! Beep beep! _

Lizzie groaned as she rolled over to turn off the alarm on her wand. She grabbed her glasses off the bed stand as her eyes adjusted to the light shining through her windows. Wait. Her bedroom didn't have a window on the west wall. She pulled her head up and took in her surroundings. _Aah, of course. _Her brain woke up and kicked into gear. She was in a hotel in Falmouth on her research weekend about the Falcons. Today was the day that she was going to interview the team, as well as it being the first time that Ginny had left her to do so by herself. She got out of bed and looked out the window. The Prophet had definitely been kind to her; Lizzie's window looked out onto the harbour, and she could see a plethora of boats coming in and out. She smiled at the sight- her dad would love this. He'd grown up in Cornwall but had moved to London for university and never moved back. Lizzie rummaged through her bag to find her phone. She took a picture and uploaded it to Facebook. _Woke up to this view from my hotel window. Wow- I love my job._

Lizzie laughed at herself as she put her phone back down. She could hear her friend Clara's voice right now, "You complain about not being Wizard enough and then spend all your time acting like a muggle! You make no sense!"

In all honesty, that pretty much summed up her entire life. Growing up around only muggles, she wasn't even aware of the existence of magic. At primary school she was a good student and had a solid group of friends, but they- and herself- always knew that there was something different about her. She could remember her first experience with magic as clearly as if it were yesterday. She was 7 years old and had come back from a particularly bad day at school- she was angry. She got home and slammed the door shut, and as she did, the light switch in her corridor flickered. She didn't think anything of it until she screamed and it made the fuse blow. It was another few weeks before anything else happened- but this time her family were witnesses. Her dad fainted. Fully passed out. He was the bravest man she knew so needless to say it concerned her. Her brother had questioned her about it for hours following 'the incident' but she didn't know what to say. The day that McGonagall showed up with her Hogwarts letter was simultaneously the most shocking and relieving day of her life.

_"What do you mean you're not going to Grangewood?" her best friend Jenni had challenged her._

_"I was accepted into this boarding school in Scotland. They help people like me," she mumbled, trying not to cry. _

_"People like you? What does that mean?" her friend Tom added. _

_"Just... Different." _

_"But we love that you're different!" _

_"Please don't leave." _

_She hugged her best friends and wished them goodbye. "I'll never forget where I came from. We'll always stay in touch. I'll see you at Christmas." _

Lizzie sighed as she shook off the memory. "Focus girl. You don't have time to reminisce- there's work to do."

Once she was changed and had grabbed all her stuff, she caught a taxi to the field of the training ground. _You muggle._ The taxi driver was obviously perturbed at having to drop someone off by an empty field, but money was money. Lizzie wandered across the field and muttered "Revelio," revealing the stadium to her eyes. Even though she had just been there the day before, she was left speechless at the enormity of it. When she entered the grounds she was met by a spritely witch named Yasmin, who she had been introduced to yesterday as the assistant of the team's manager.

"Good morning Miss Hartley, I trust you had a pleasant sleep."

Lizzie smiled politely back at her, "I did, thank you."

"Wonderful to hear! You needed it in preparation for this busy, busy day. They've all cleared their schedules today just to talk to you. The kit storage room has been rearranged and prepared for you to do seven interviews in."

"Thank you so much. Wait- seven? I thought an interview with the manager had been booked too?"

Yasmin awkwardly tucked a hair behind her ear, "Yes it has. That's included in the seven." Lizzie eyed her curiously, waiting for an explanation, "The thing is- Mr Potter insists on being interviewed this evening. Over dinner. I've been asked to tell you to go to this restaurant at 6pm."

Yasmin handed Lizzie a small notecard with a scribbled address on it. Lizzie wanted to refuse it but this was her job- she couldn't. She sighed.

"Lead the way then, we better get started with these interviews."

"So tell me: what drew you to Quidditch?"

"It's a great way to make friends at school and I just fell in love with the sport." "My family has a history with the game." "There is literally no other feeling in the world that matches that of flying."

"What do you think sets the Falcons apart as a team?"

"We're not just a team- we're a family. We all have a good balance between work and banter." "We train all year round. The most we'd ever take off training is a fortnight." "We have a fantastic manager who cares about each of our individual careers as well as a Captain who gives his all to the sport."

"How are you feeling about the approaching Euro League?"

"Pretty good. I mean, there are some absolutely incredible seekers on these teams; especially some of the Germans. It's a lot of pressure to live up to, but I think I'm up to it." "In all honesty, I'm pretty nervous- but we have done literally all we can so I'm hoping for the best." "We smashed the British League this year, what are a couple more teams to beat?"

"And your Captain- James Potter. Do you think that he has it in him to lead your team to victory?"

"Absolutely! Jay lives, sleeps and breathes Quidditch. Yes it helps that he has parents who were gifted players, but he challenges even his mother's skill." "He was born to be a leader. Yes he can let it get to his head sometimes, but he deserves to because he works harder than anybody I know." "He's a bit of a prat but his heart is in the right place." "I truly believe that James Sirius Potter is one of our generation's finest Quidditch players."

Mr Mclane, the team manager, laughed as he answered this final question. "Buying James from the Appleby Arrows was the best decision I have ever made in my career."

Lizzie's eyebrow raised at all this praise. It was heightening her expectations of tonight to say the least. She cast the charm on her quick quill to stop it transcribing, and began to pick up her things.

"Well thank you. For all your insight, and for allowing me to steal your team for the day. It's been interesting."

The older man stood up alongside her and shook her hand, "You're yet to meet Jay. I'm sure it's going to get more interesting!" he laughed as she tried to join in to hide her nerves. She just hoped he couldn't see through her.

* * *

At 6pm precisely, Lizzie apparated to _La Casa di Draghi_, a small Italian restaurant situated in a Wizarding part of the town by the sea. When she arrived, she looked around the room and smiled to herself at some of these Wizards attempts to wear muggle clothing. In one corner of the room she spotted him, wearing a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up with dress trousers and shoes, and he was using his wand to play with the candle on the centre of the table. She looked down at her own top and jeans and couldn't help but feel underdressed. _What are you going on about? This isn't a date, Lizzie, it's an interview. _She took a deep breath and approached the table, coughing to make her presence known. James stopped what he was doing and stood up to greet her. He smiled, "You must be Elizabeth."

She went to correct him, but stopped herself, finding that she liked the sound of 'Elizabeth' a lot more when he said it. "Yes, that would be me, and you would be the famous James Sirius Potter, I presume?"

He laughed. "Yeah, I guess that's me." James gestured for her to sit down. Soon after, a waiter appeared next to them.

"Can I get you drinks tonight?" he asked, a quill poised above his notepad.

Before Lizzie could offer an answer, James had opened his mouth. "We'll have a bottle of white wine please. The best one you can give us, please."

"Certainly, Mr Potter."

"Do you come here often? The waiter seemed to know who you are," Lizzie asked suprised.

He shrugged in reply, "As you said just now- I'm famous. I also look too much like my dad to not get recognised."

Lizzie looked at him closely, "You've got a lot of your mum in you too. Your eyes are exactly the same."

His lips curved into a small smile. "Yeah they are. Very observant Miss Hartley. Shall we order some starters and then you can start interviewing me?"

She just nodded, still nowhere near sure of what to think of James Sirius Potter.

"Right. Where shall I begin... How did you first get into Quidditch?"

He thought for a moment, his mind flicking back to the memories. "Obviously I was always surrounded by the sport, what with Mum. I was only 3 when she stopped playing for the Harpies but she went straight into Sports Journalism, as you well know. Dad's Hogwarts days involved a lot of Quidditch too, and people would often cite the stories. The Burrow, that's my grandparents' home, has a Quidditch pitch out back, so any family event would feature a game. Then when I got to school, I began to play competitively and found that I was better at it than most things so I decided to stick at it."

Lizzie smiled at his answer as her charmed quill scribbled it down.

"How has the new position of Captain been for you?"

James leant back in his chair and crossed his hands behind his head in a casual manner. "It's an absolute honour, it really is. It's also a lot of pressure though. I care about every member of my team, but ultimately my job is to win us matches. So yeah, I'm quite tough on them but only because it's the only way to keep them motivated. I feel that I'm settling into the role pretty well."

Another answer was jotted down and Lizzie got slightly more confused. This man in front of her seemed professional and focused- little could be seen of the rambunctious flirt with drinking and pranking habits that friends and the press had whispered about.

"To be a professional athlete, you need to be physically fit. How do you maintain this?"

"As I said before, I work my team hard; so we train four days a week. I try and keep a balanced diet too. I run every morning, do toning exercises daily too. I also do a lot of... after hours exercise." His eye gleamed as he finished, making Lizzie _very _aware of his innuendo. She coughed awkwardly and moved on to the next question.

"What are your hopes for the next few years of your career?"

He laughed, "To be honest; I just want to have fun. I'd like to rank in the top 5 in the Europa League too. Managing to get to the top spot here in Britain was monumental, but I've got a feeling we would feel even better of it wasn't just national praise, but continent-wide. That's my hopes for the Falcons. For myself... well, I'd love to play for England in the next World Cup so I'm just working as hard as I can to get there."

As she pushed aside her finished main course, Lizzie hummed in interest as she took in his answer. "Do you mind if I ask you some personal questions now?"

He leaned in closer and Lizzie could feel his foot pressing against hers under the table. "I'd love for you to get personal with me, Elizabeth." He looked up at the arrival of a waiter. "Oh look, the sweet stuff is here"

Lizzie smiled awkwardly, trying to ignore the situation. _That must be what the media meant. Just ask some questions. _

"Since starting your Quidditch career seven years ago, and even before that- the media pegged you as a party animal. Do you think that this damages your reputation on the field?"

He looked momentarily shocked at her abrupt question before returning to his calm self. "Yes they have 'pegged me as a party animal' but where's the harm in me enjoying my life? I do like parties and women and booze and I do probably spend more time focusing on those things than most, but you know what? I deserve to. Look, I don't mean to sound completely up my own arse, but I'm one of the best players that this country has. If people don't want to see that but instead focus on the fact that I enjoy a good night out- they're fucking idiots. Quite frankly, I don't give a shit about what people think of me, because I'm an athlete. People should care about how good I am with a broom; not anything else." His eyes darkened. The scariest part of it all was that he had maintained his level tone and eye contact throughout. It made Lizzie shiver.

She hesitated before asking another question. "Being a professional Quidditch player is a 24/7 job. Has this made life difficult for you in any way?"

James shrugged, "Well the media already bugged me all the time anyway so it doesn't make a difference. What do you mean by difficult?"

"Umm, well you know, has it had a strain on your relationships with your friends and family?" Lizzie muttered, scared that she'd crossed a line.

"Is this in regards to those rumours about me and my brother?" Because I assure you Elizabeth, it's a load of crap. I have never threatened my brother with an unforgivable and I don't plan on doing so."

Suddenly his demeanour changed. "Can I ask you a few questions Miss Hartley?"

Lizzie nearly choked on her wine in suprise, "That's not really how this is meant to go Mr Potter."

"James." he corrected. "Or Jay- whichever you prefer. It would just be one or two questions."

Lizzie sighed but nodded her head and cut the charm on her quill, "Yeah sure, whatever."

"What house were you in at school?" he asked innocently, making Lizzie laugh.

"Ravenclaw." she thought she heard him mutter 'that figures' under his breath.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

Her eyes widened, "No, not right now."

"Are you actually interested in Quidditch, or was this the only position at the Prophet?"

She laughed again, "Only position. I'm starting to become interested though."

He nodded, contemplating something as he scooped up the last spoon of his tiramisu. His manner changed once more as he propped himself up on his elbows and leaned forward again."

"Okay, one last thing. You may have noticed that I've been checking you out all night, because frankly- you're absolutely beautiful. Which is why I'm asking on a bit of a whim if... well, sorry to be blunt, but I want to know if you'd come home with me."

"Excuse me?" Lizzie's face flushed bright red. "I'm here on work business."

James shrugged, "You got your interview; now have some fun. My mum never has to know."

"This isn't about your mother, this is about the fact that I barely even know you!" she laughed in shock.

"What are you talking about-you just learned loads about me."

"Those are questions for a newspaper. Those aren't real, personal things! I don't know your birthday, or your favourite colour, or whether you have any allergies..."

"4th November, red, kiwi fruit. Now you know. Come home with me."

Lizzie stood up angrily and shot an aguamenti charm straight at James' face. "Thanks for dinner Mr Potter. You can read that interview in the Prophet shortly," and with that she grabbed her stuff and apparated away.

James ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "And it was going so well."

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**And that is actually the longest chapter I've ever written for any of my stories ever! You lucky things you! Another update in a few. Reviews make me smile! Bg. 97 xx**


	5. 4 Some Potters, Alcohol and Advice

**Hello all, Chapter 4 is here! And it includes the awesomeness of Albus so enjoy :) Oh- I also wrote a Scorose one-shot so if you are into that- check out my author profile. Enjoy Bg.97 xx**

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James apparated home cold wet and annoyed. He had to go and open his big mouth didn't he? _Stupid man whore. _As he appeared in the kitchen of his home, he could hear noises coming from the sitting room, as well as smelling the distinct dust of floo powder.

As he entered the room, he found a man just 3 years younger than himself sat staring at the fireplace.

"Finally gone mad, little bro?"

Al shot up at the sound of James' voice and smiled, "Something like that, yeah."

The two boys embraced each other and James patted Albus' jaw, "I'm glad to see you shaved off that horrendous attempt at a beard."

Albus snorted, shrugging the comment off, "I'm single now so I've got to look at least half decent when playing the field."

"So what made you come over? It's not like you usually visit."

"Well neither do you, so I guess we're even." he shot back angrily. Al sighed. "I just wanted to spend some time with my big brother, go out for a few drinks or something?"

James contemplated this before replying, "Malfoy busy?"

"I'm offended that you think that's the only reason I'd spend time with you! But yeah; he's sorting out wedding stuff."

"In fairness, you are less scary to stand up than Rose is," this made Al laugh. "Hang on, as Best Man shouldn't you be there?"

"Nah, the Maid of Honour and I have a rota of sorts; it's Annie's shift tonight."

"Fair enough. So drinks. Where do you want to go? Leaky?"

Al shrugged again, "Actually, I was thinking somewhere more like Battleground or The Dragon's Nest?"

"A nightclub?" James' eyes widened at the possibility. "Why the hell not? Let me just go get changed."

"Yeah, why are you all wet?" Albus smirked.

James winked, "I'll tell you when I'm a little less sober."

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The Dragon's Nest was probably one of the most renowned Wizarding nightclubs in Britain. The music was loud with a good beat and the selection of alcohol they offered surpassed most good shops. You entered on the ground floor from Diagon Alley and then descended down the stairs into a dark room lit by an array of colourful light spots hitting the walls. On one wall was a large carving of a dragon; the mouth of which was filled with a fireplace. Opposite this wall was a bar stacked to the brim with an assortment of bottled iniquities. The room had sofas and chairs scattered around its edges and a large dancefloor in the middle, which by the time James and Albus had walked over from Grimmauld Place, had become full of wizards who couldn't quite walk straight and fancily dressed witches. The two brothers pressed their way through the masses to get to the counter. As they got close, the bartender's face lit up in recognition.

"Why I never; two Potters in one hit! What can I be getting you boys tonight?"

James and Albus looked at each other, smirking as they each had the same thought. They simultaneously turned back to the counter as James cleared his throat.

"I think we'll each be having one of us, thanks."

The bartender laughed, "Two Potter Ales coming up. Don't worry- they're on the house."

Fame was invented for moments like these; drinking a bottle of ale named after your father and being offered to do so for free.

"I'm sorry about you and Seth," James said to his brother.

"Thanks. I probably deserved it to be fair- I was way too clingy."

James rolled his eyes, "Got anyone new in mind?"

"Not really, I might just stay single for a while."

"The older Potter barked out a laugh. "That's not bloody likely! You're even worse out of relationships than you are in them. How about that guy? What's his name… Oh yeah- Sanjay. What about Sanjay?"

Al sipped his ale considering this, "The one who works for Aunt Hermione? Didn't realise his broom flew that way."

"I'm pretty sure he's gay."

"Hmmm, I shall keep that in mind. Whilst on the topic of dates- can I hear the story of your coming home a mess?"

James downed the rest of his bottle in reply. "I'm nowhere near drunk enough yet! Am I buying this next round or are you?"

"You're the newly promoted star athlete! I'll have a Triwizards, ta."

James wandered back to the bar and threw down some galleons. "I'll have a Triwizards and a firewhiskey, thanks."

Once they were well into their second drink, they got up and joined the many people on the dancefloor. From behind the girl he was half dancing with; James could see Albus dancing with a petite dark haired girl in a corseted dress. Poor thing was staring at him with bedroom eyes. _Better save the girl from disappointment before he starts blabbering about his ex-boyfriends. _He stumbled over and grabbed his brother, pulling him out from between the people and onto a nearby sofa.

"Still a lightweight then, Albie?"

"Piss off Jamie," he tried to say it seriously but burst out laughing. "The Prophet are going to be having a field day with this. The headline will read _'Two pissed Potters bond in sleazy nightclub.'_"

"It's better than them thinking we tried to kill each other. Just today another person questioned me about that."

"Ha! As if you could curse me with an unforgivable- I'm an Auror."

Jamie scoffed, "Yeah; a shit one" eliciting a gasp of offence from Albus.

"Hey!"

James threw his arm around his brother's shoulder and pulled him closer. "You know I only tease."

"Are you drunk enough to tell me the story yet?"

"Yeah, I guess." James sighed before recounting the evening's events to Albus, trying to hide his embarrassment whilst Al chuckled in amusement.

"She's a Ravenclaw. Do you really think she'd be up for a one night stand?"

James licked his lips and smirked, "It's been known to happen."

"You dirty bugger. Mum would kill you if she found out." Al's eyes reflected concern as he looked to James.

"I'm just hoping she never does."

"It was quite the risk to take though!" Al ran his hand through his hair. "She must've really been something."

James gushed, "She's gorgeous, Albie. She had these eyes which just lit up, and a smile you could trust, and her hair looked so soft."

"Merlin's beard Jamie- what's this girl done to you?"

James straightened up in his seat as if to reaffirm his masculinity. "Nothing. She was just damn hot. I don't know Al. There was something about her which just intrigued me."

"In a way which is _more_ than just getting into her pants?" Al questioned.

"Maybe… I don't know. What I do know is this- although I really hope I never run into her again; I bloody hope I do. Maybe I can redeem myself."

"Maybe you should attempt to redeem yourself with your family first. Nan is missing her no. 1 grandson."

James looked at Al as if he had stated the most obvious thing in the world.

"Seriously though, Jamie," Albus looked his brother straight in the eye. "Just come for brunch tomorrow. The house is so boring at the moment."

"The Burrow- boring? How's that possible?"

"Well let's do a roll call for the cousins, shall we? You've got recent, and therefore grumpy, parents Teddy & Vic and Freddie & Maya; crazy wedding planning Rose and Scorpius; quiet Lucy; Mega busy at work Molly; Dom, Louis, Lily and Hugo aren't around, so that just leaves me and all the adults."

"What about Roxy?"

"Well okay- two fun, awesome young people surrounded by oldies. The point is Jamie, please come home. You haven't been to a family gathering in over a month. We miss you."

"Is tomorrow really the best option? You know full well that we'll be very hung-over in the morning.

Al sniggered. "Please! I know you have an entire cupboard filled with various hangover potions. Speaking of yours, can I stay the night? I don't really want to listen to my best mate and my cousin having sex in the room next door."

James laughed loudly, "You finally stopped denying they do that then?"

Albus slowly went red. "Umm… well… I kind of had to after I walked in on them."

This comment proceeded to make James spit his firewhiskey out.

"Yeah, yeah, it's hilarious. Anyway, can I stay at the house tonight or what?"

James bit his lip, feigning contemplation, before breaking into a wide smile. "Go on then. It'll be like when we were kids."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! And hey- it will be worth your time, I'll give you some advice for this Elizabeth girl."

"You? Give me girl advice? " James stared at Al incredulously waiting for him to laugh. When he didn't, James shrugged. "This evening has been pretty strange all round- why not add getting advice on women from my single, gay, little brother?"

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**That's chapter 4 and that is Albus :). Hope you enjoyed. Please review. xx**


	6. 5 Girls Day Out

**Right, so I've not been very good at this whole weekly update business. I'm so sorry! Being back at college takes its toll. For those of you who are unaware of what A levels are, putting it into Potter terms, I'm getting ready to take my NEWTs and they are most definitely nastily exhausting! However, I now own a laptop- yay! So updating should be a tad easier now. On with the story. Enjoy- Bg.97 xx**

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"Hey beautiful." Lizzie jumped as a voice appeared behind her. She turned around to face a woman her age, with warm brown eyes and short brown hair in a pixie cut.

"Merlin Clara, you scared me."

Clara laughed and gave a playful wink, "You know you were buzzing to see me."

"Of course I was!" Lizzie confirmed before pulling her friend into a hug.

Clara had been the first person Lizzie had met at Hogwarts, and after they were both sorted into Ravenclaw, they became fast friends. It was strange really, when you considered how different they were from each other. Where Lizzie was quiet, it was as if Clara was permanently using a Sonorus charm. Where Lizzie was a jumper and jeans girl, Clara was a miniskirts and high heels girl. Where Lizzie would much rather curl up with a good book, Clara was getting smashed at a large party. In everything, they were complete opposites; yet in everything they were equals. A perfect balance.

"I heard about your promotion, well done!" Lizzie congratulated her friend as the pair took a seat in Fortescue's.

"Thank you. It's not that big a step up but at least Minister Shacklebolt thinks I'm good for something."

"Not that big a step up?" Lizzie scoffed, "You've been asked to represent Britain at the next European Magical Co-operation Summit. That's amazing!"

At this praise, Clara allowed herself a rare blush. "The Prophet are going to interview me. Shame it's not your department." As she said this, a cog turned in her mind. "Speaking of- It's been over an entire week, why am I yet to hear of your interview with the great James Sirius Potter? How did it go?"

Now it was Lizzie's turn to blush. "It was interesting… and that's to say the least."

"I bet it was! That boy is fucking gorgeous."

Lizzie went a deeper shade of crimson.

"What is he like?"

Lizzie's eyebrows raised, "Where do I even start? Mysterious, charismatic, slightly egotistical, bit of a prat."

Clara's shoulders sunk in disappointment. "Oh. It went badly then?"

"Well it wasn't going badly until…" her voice shrunk into a murmur.

"What was that?"

Lizzie gulped before repeating. "Until he asked me to go home with him."

Her friend's eyes widened opposite her. "What? What? What?!" Her voice went up an octave between each repeat. "Shit- that's insane. You are so lucky. Please, please say you said yes."

"Don't be ridiculous Clara, of course I didn't."

Clara kicked Lizzie under the table.

"Ow!"

"You bloody well deserved that."

Lizzie's mouth settled into an O shape. "How did I?"

"You could have had sex with James Potter and you said no."

Lizzie continued to stare blankly at her friend.

"_The _James Sirius Potter! As in Witch Weekly's five time Sexiest Wizard of the Year, and you could have seen him naked!"

She shrugged and took a sip of her drink. "So what, I don't even know the guy, it doesn't matter that he's attractive.

Clara shook her head and stood up to leave. "I can't believe you. Come on, let's get out of here before my anger at you makes me do something stupid."

Clara grabbed Lizzie's hand and attempted to pull her out of the door but instead just pushing her into a solid figure, on which her coffee was now spilled.

"Shoot, I'm so sorry." Without looking up, she began to rub her sleeve to try and clear up the mess she'd made. The figure in front of her laughed.

"No problem at all."

Oh no. She recognised that voice. She looked up to face the man wearing her coffee and of course, _his _chocolate brown eyes were staring down at her and a smirk graced his features.

She awkwardly smiled. "Hi Mr Potter."

He grabbed her hand which lingered on his chest as he replied. "I've told you, the name is Jay."

Out on the street, Clara had only just noticed her friend's disappearance. She groaned and wandered back down to Fortescue's.

"Lizzie, what the hell is taking you so"-

It was at this point that she noticed the fact that her friend was pressed against a coffee stained James Sirius Potter. Clara paused.

"Shit, she didn't spill something on you, did she?"

Both James and Lizzie's heads shot up towards Clara, who had pulled out her wand and was casting a scourgify charm. She reached out her hand to shake James' .

"Clara Tempest. No need to ask who you are."

He laughed. "No I guess there isn't. Nevertheless, I'm James Potter."

Clara looked him up and down as she bit her bottom lip. "Believe me, _I know_."

Lizzie flushed red in embarrassment, and grabbed Clara's hand so as to pull her away. "I'm so sorry for this little altercation. I hope you liked the article. We'll leave now."

She walked out the door as fast as she could without seeming desperate.

"Elizabeth, wait."

Although she knew she should keep walking, she turned around, sighing as she did so,

James slipped his hands into his jeans pockets nervously and stepped forward. "I just wanted to say thank you for not telling my mum about… our little incident."

"What makes you think I haven't?"

"Well I'm stood here unharmed aren't I?" he chuckled. "I saw her in the week and if she had known, she wouldn't have kept quiet about it. So yeah, thanks."

Lizzie's eyes gleamed darkly. "Believe me when I say that I did that for the sake of my reputation; not yours. Have a nice day James."

And with that, she stormed off down Diagon Alley, Clara trailing behind her. When they had got far enough away from the scene, Clara let a small smile slip onto her face.

"What are you smiling about?"

"Oh nothing… _Elizabeth._"

"Clara?"

"Hmmm?"

"Shut up."

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**Reviews keep me motivated and may make me work quicker… I will definitely still try to get one chapter to you a week but we'll see what happens. Thanks for the support and please keep reading! Bg.97 xx**


	7. 6 Running into Trouble

**Right… So I understand that I was late again… I think I'm just going to remove that 'weekly update' bit in the blurb. I'm so sorry. College is just extremely manic right now. A levels are pain epitomised. Here is the next chapter. Sorry, it's kind of a filler, but I wanted to keep the chapter format James, Lizzie, James, Lizzie, so I needed to come up with a James chapter before the next Lizzie one I have planned. (I ended up writing both James and Lizzie's segments of this chapter though.) Also, I freaked out that I'm moving this story along too fast. Sorry. Here you go. Bg. 97 xx**

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James swerved under the bludger just in time, it flying over his head as he threw the quaffle to his fellow chaser, Freya Bronwyn. He smiled as she turned and got the quaffle through the right hand hoop, catching the keeper by surprise. He cheered, before lowering his broom and landing on the centre of the pitch.

"Well done guys, absolutely brilliant practice."

He looked round to his teammates, each of their eyes reflecting his excited gleam.

"The European League starts on the 1st June, just two weeks from now; and if you play like that, I'll be a very proud captain. So. You can guys can bugger off and have yourselves a good night off. I'll see you first thing tomorrow morning."

He waited for each of them to head off before he himself retreated to his quarters. As he walked in, he saw a familiar brown owl perched on the corner of his desk, a scroll lying by its feet. He smirked as he went to unroll it.

_Oi. Jamie!_

_Word from your brother is that you are actually trying to reconnect with your dear family again. If this strange news is in fact the case, I do believe we have a hell of a lot of catching up to do. I also believe that our other dear friend has a birthday to celebrate, and a boyfriend who is away on business. My darling wife Maya has very kindly agreed to care for our child tonight, so you, TJ and I are having a night on the town! See you at the Dragon's Nest tonight. 8pm._

_Love Freddie (your favourite cousin)_

James laughed as he scribbled down a reply. Now the only thing to do was to buy Tara a present…

At 8.07, James made his way down the all too familiar stairs into the club, smiling as he spotted Tara, bottle already in hand, and Freddie leaning casually against the bar, his hair looking haggard from what James guessed was many a sleepless night. He made his way over and slipped his arm round Tara's waist making her jump. He moved closer and whispered in her ear, "Happy Birthday you beautiful girl."

Tara laughed, throwing her head into James' shoulder. "Don't flatter me with sweet nothings just because you didn't buy me a present, Jay."

"That obvious, hey?"

Fred stepped forward and placed his hand on James' other shoulder. "You've always had a tendency to be a tad predictable, Jamie."

"You wouldn't change that though would you?" he asked, a flicker of doubt in his voice.

Tara and Freddie exchanged glances before simultaneously shaking their heads. "Never!"

"Now come on," Tara said as she smoothed out her dress and threw her arms around her companions' shoulders. "This is meant to be my birthday, and I don't want to waste my precious time turning in the second quarter of a century, trying to make Jamie's fat head bigger. Let us drink and dance and have a fucking ball, my friends."

Freddie's eyes squinted in confusion, "That was put so… eloquently."

"Don't you know it," Tara winked as she began to head to the dance floor. Her and Fred paused as they realised James had stopped behind them.

"Jay, are you okay? Shit, you look as if you've seen a ghost or something."

But James couldn't be shaken from his rouse, as his eye had been caught by a petite girl whose blonde hair he would've recognised anywhere.

Fred rolled his eyes. "Who's she then? A past flame?"

James ran his hands through his hair anxiously, "Umm no. She rejected me actually."

"The great J.S. Potter rejected? Who'd think it possible?" Tara muttered sarcastically.

"Let's go say hi, if you know her."

"Are you crazy?!" James spat, tugging back his cousin to his side. "I can't let her see me."

"Too late for that, buddy."

"What are you talking about Tara?"

"She just looked straight at you, went bright red and is now violently whispering at her friend so that they may leave. Now that's sorted, let's stop messing about and actually have some fun!"

James stared at Tara with an unbelieving look. "How am I meant to have fun, now you've told me that? Now all I'm going to be able to think about the fact that as soon as Elizabeth saw me she wanted to leave. I'm not that repulsive! I'm sorry TJ, I need to leave. Happy birthday babe, have a good one." And before his friends could even question his actions, he had kissed Tara on the cheek and apparated away.

"What the bloody hell was that?"

"Who knows; but let's not have a bad night just because James is being weirdly out of character."

"Exactly! This is my first night off from being a Dad since Julia was born. I am going to get smashed with my best friend! Sound good?"

Tara held up her bottle and downed its contents, "Sounds bloody fabulous."

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"Lizzie, sweetie, do you mind running to Scribulus and collecting our order of new notepads?"

Lizzie began to get up from her desk straight away, "Of course not Mrs Potter."

Ginny gave her a disapproving look.

"Sorry Ginny."

The older woman smiled. "Much better. Thanks for this Lizzie, I'll see you in a bit."

She went to grab her stuff and headed down Diagon Alley to the stationary shop to collect their order. It was only a quick trip; less than five minutes there and back. Lizzie stumbled back into Ginny's office, surprised to find the room empty as the pile of supplies in her hand spilled on to the desk. She paused to take a breath, looking around the room. Although she'd been working for her for two months, Elizabeth had yet to get a proper look in her boss's office. She smiled at the pictures on the desk: a golden frame with a picture of her in her Holyhead Harpies uniform; a wizarding image of her and Harry Potter dancing on their wedding day… she went to look closely at a third image but dropped it as the sound of the door slamming distracted her.

"Shit, sorry. I was just looking for my Mum. Wait… Elizabeth?"

Lizzie cringed at the conversation she didn't particularly want to have but straightened her glasses and turned around to face James.

"James, hi."

"Hi. I wasn't expecting to see you here."

She smiled, despite herself. "I don't see why not, I do work here."

He laughed. "Yeah, yeah of course you do."

Awkward silence hung in the air a few moments before James broke it once more. "Did you have a nice time at the club? I saw you there a few nights back. Were you there with your friend Clara?"

"Yes, I did have a nice night thank you. I wasn't with Clara though. I was meeting up with some of the girls from the Harpies."

"You've caught the Quidditch bug then?" he smiled and crossed his arms across his chest in amusement.

"Maybe just a little."

"I'm glad."

The pair both jumped as the door to the office opened once more. Ginny looked between the two as she walked in. "Jamie? What are you doing here?"

James pulled his eyes away from Lizzie, being sure to keep them fixed only on his mother. "I was in the area and since it was nearly lunchtime, I thought I'd take my dear Mum to lunch."

"Well that's unusually thoughtful of you James."

"Hardly unusual!" James defended.

Ginny rolled her eyes and looked rather to Lizzie than James. "You wouldn't mind if I left the office for an hour would you Lizzie?"

"Of course not. You go enjoy your lunch."

Ginny offered her junior a look of gratitude as she left the room. As James went to leave, he hesitated on the handle and turned back one last time. "It was good to see you again, Elizabeth."

"And you."

Once he had left, Lizzie crouched down to pick up the frame she had dropped, brushing off the dust.

A younger version of James' smirking face looked up at her, dressed in Gryffindor robes and holding exam certificates. Lizzie sighed. "Why do I keep running into trouble?"

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**Reviews would very much be appreciated! I will update as soon as humanly possible **** Bg. 97 xx**


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